Have a cuppa tea and some cheese and a scone...

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Today is Jim's birthday! Happy birthday, sweetie!

I worked today. I want to get as much time in the dairy as possible. I shadowed Nick pretty closely. I took tons of photos because I wanted to capture the process in its entirety. I documented step by step Devon Blue and Harbourne Blue.

The day flew by. We had a nice tea time break, and we were back intothe swing of things. Jenny, the bookkeeper came today. She brought her dog, Daisy the black lab. Very sweet dog. Just didn't understand why she couldn't lean against our cheesemaking clothes.

Nick is lightning fast in the make room. He does everything with a sure and the bold confidence of someone who's been doing this for a while. Nine years. I hope to have that steady of a hand someday. I assist Liz with scraping and wrapping cheese for wholesale orders when I wasn't taking pictures.

We quit around 3:30. I decided to be naughty. I drove into Totnes and went to Grey's Dining Room and had a Devonshire Cream Tea. Ohhhhh. I had to have another scone before I left. My first scone was just as good as last time. The second scone was a bit overbaked. I slathered every bite with a thick layer of clotted cream and a layer of jam. Light and warm, it melted in my mouth. Washing it down with a sip of tea is perfect.

Clotted cream should have a nice bit of crust. The mark of perfection. My goodness this stuff is amazing. It just oozes with ropey threads when you spoon it onto a scone.

I asked the waiter for their secret. How do they make such amazing scones? He looked at me with a sideways glance and said "It's our secret. But I will say this. We use butter." Nick tells me to use cold fingers and don't overwork the dough. Make sure everything is cold. He also says his scones are crap. His wife, Sally makes the best scones. Teach me!

I go home and clean the bathroom. I start to pack. It makes me sad. Robin and Sarie are returning and I'm being forced out of the nest. I've grown fond of the silence. It is very peaceful. I also like the hive of activity all around me during the day. It keeps me going.